At noon, Richard got up.
Richard asked someone to "invite" William to leave. William was pushed forward, and he looked back and saw Elizabeth being held by him. He squatted down, looked at her face carefully, and seemed to be saying something.
Maybe he was apologizing, William thought. Hui Hui said that every time Richard was violent, he would coax her the next day, saying that he didnt mean it, but the next time he got drunk, he still couldnt control it.
It might be sincere when he apologizes, and he might be out of control when he beats her, but this is by no means the way a father should be.
Later, when William came to the Deng family again, no one opened the door for him.
William didnt say anything, and left silently. He took a bus to the school where Hui Hui is studying now, the station in Deerfield, and silently memorized the train times. He is very smart and has a good memory, almost to the point of memorizing everything he sees, and he looks very calm, no one noticed this silent young man.
Time passed day by day, and the final exam was coming soon.
During this period, they all got along well, and Richard gradually forgot about this thorn in his side, William.
William also attended classes and evening study sessions as usual, and studied hard for the exam. The head teacher was very pleased, feeling that he had finally recovered. Williams grades were very good, and she was still hoping that he would take the top score next year.
On the weekend, William went back to West Village.
The old house has become ruins, and he sat on the ruins and watched for a long time, as if he wanted to remember everything, and then got up.
He found the location of his former bedroom, and started digging according to his memory. After digging for a while, he finally dug it up, a small box wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. After opening layers of paper, there was a stack of pink banknotes, not much money, but it was saved by grandmas hard life.
Before she died, she held his hand and told him that all her savings were hidden here, so she wouldnt be afraid of being stolen, and it was for his college education in the future.
"William, you can rest assured and study hard, grandma is all ready."
William has always known that the money is buried here, but since his grandmother passed away, he has been disheartened and has never thought of taking it out.
He trembled and put the money away, and then chose a relatively clean place to dig a hole, digging very deep, he wanted to bury grandmas urn.
After digging the hole, William took out the urn from his school bag and looked at the photo on it with reluctance.
He had already changed the photo and replaced it with the one grandma liked when she was alive. It was not as serious as the ID photo, but was smiling, and smiling very kindly.
William looked at it for a long time, and finally put the box in. He filled the hole again, buried it tightly, and then made a cover, making it inconspicuous.
After doing all this, William took out the joss paper and burned it one by one.
He bought a lot, all kinds of everything, and some paper-made cars and villas.
He didnt believe in the underworld, but in case there really was one? Grandma didnt have a good life when she was alive, and he hoped that she could live a better life in the underworld. Moreover, he is leaving this way, and he may come back, or he may never come back in this life, and he cant visit grandmas grave during Qingming Festival, so there is only this time.
William burned for a long time, and the firelight reflected on the young mans handsome face, his eyes were calm and firm, and his expression was sad and stubborn.
The wind was very strong, blowing the unburned paper money around him, and the sky was full of thin paper and ash.
William looked at the paper flying all over the sky, knelt down, and kowtowed solemnly three times.
One bow to the kindness of relatives, thanking grandma for raising him for sixteen years.
Two bows to the teachers grace, thanking Teacher Zhang for teaching and saving his life.
Three bows to heaven and earth, from then on, he bid farewell to his hometown, hoping that God would have mercy, if there is a soul in this person, may the soul have a place to go, be free from displacement and hardship, and live in peace and safety year after year.
"Grandma, William is unfilial, and he wont be able to visit you often in the future.
"If you have a soul in heaven, please bless me to be smooth and safe, and let Hui Hui be happy every day. Dont worry, I will take care of myself, no matter where I go, I will remember you.
"Teacher Zhang, you can rest assured, I will take care of Hui Hui and make her happy every day."
William made a vow in his heart and kowtowed three more times before standing up.
He looked at the ruins in front of him with reluctance. This was once his home, and all his hopes and dreams. Now he had to say goodbye, he might come back, or he might never come back.
But he didnt regret it. If you dont repay your kindness, you are not a gentleman, and if you dont avenge your enemy, you are not a man.
He walked forward with a crutch, the wind was very strong, the sky was very blue, and the paper money was still flying all over the sky, as if it couldnt stop, as if it was bidding farewell to him.
William didnt look back, even though he knew that he had abandoned his bright future and bright life, and was on a path of no return, he still walked very resolutely. He had already planned a perfect crime.
Gradually, he was farther and farther away from home, and his figure became smaller and smaller, until he disappeared on the horizon.
The teacher didnt find out that William was missing until Tuesday afternoon.
When they arrived at the resettlement point, they only saw a suicide note, saying thank you for everyones care over the years, but Im sorry, grandma is gone, he is alone and helpless, and has no will to live anymore.
Everyone couldnt believe it, but they couldnt find William, and they could only make the worst plans. Even though the head teacher said not to give up hope, many students still cried.
A few days later, the police also came and asked about the case of Elizabeths disappearance, suspecting that she was lost or kidnapped.
The police called Guan Xiaoling over, but Guan Xiaoling could only cry: "I dont know, since his grandmother and Teacher Zhang passed away, he has changed a lot, and he is very self-blaming..."
She couldnt provide any clues, and after the police saw the suicide note, they didnt come again.
For a while, this matter was widely spread, and there were many rumors. There were several versions circulating in Deerfield High School, some saying that William had committed suicide and died, some speculating that he had kidnapped Elizabeth, and some claiming to have seen William somewhere, but he was already crazy... There were all kinds of things, but as time passed, it gradually subsided, and everyone gradually forgot that there was such a person.
At this time, William had already left with Elizabeth, heading for an unpredictable fate.
They followed the plan made in advance, and after school, Elizabeth made an excuse to go to a classmates house to play, did not get on the Deng familys car, and met up with William at the station, and then took the fastest train to leave Deerfield.
The plan was very smooth, and then they changed three more cars, hiding and hiding, and found a small hotel, never daring to go out.
William threw away his crutch. When he was discharged from the hospital, the doctor repeatedly instructed that his foot should not touch the ground within a month, and he should minimize walking within three months. But he still threw it away, just because he dared not, using a crutch was too obvious, and he was afraid of being discovered.
Fortunately, thanks to the tornado, many surveillance cameras were damaged, and the government had not yet repaired and installed them, so the police did not find any clues about Elizabeth in the surveillance system.
Every year, many women and children are abducted and lost, and the police are enthusiastic for a while, and then they put this case down. Moreover, the family seems not to be enthusiastic, and they cant even provide a decent photo.
Deng Wen still indulges in a extravagant life, and Richard is ambitious to make a big splash in the Deng family. Only Deng Songqiao felt melancholic for a while, as if he had lost an interesting toy and couldnt watch the good play anymore.
Nothing changed, Deerfield was still so peaceful, and life continued to be dull and boring.
Later, William took Elizabeth to Willow City.
Willow City is not very big, but for a 16-year-old William, this small city is already very large, and it is far enough from Deerfield.
He rented a small house, and not knowing what to do, he bought a second-hand tricycle and walked the streets like grandma, collecting waste.
One day, he collected a pile of old newspapers, and there was a piece of news on the expired newspaper, which occupied a tofu block size, saying that Elizabeth was missing, and it was suspected that she was lost or kidnapped. It described the childs appearance characteristics and the clothes she was wearing that day, but there was no photo.
William looked at it for a while, put down the newspaper, and continued to be busy, looking calm.
But he knew that he had become a juvenile offender.